Cigar Thoughts, Game 16: Happy New Years, friends

***As most of you know, Cigar Thoughts is now a podcast. One of the perks of the pod is getting these articles in audio form, in addition to our sit-downs with our amazing guests— like our most recent one with scheme guru and Seahawks Twitter cult hero, GRIFFIN STURGEON. You can listen to all the shows, including most articles, right here:

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I’m not gonna lie, 2023 was a weird year. I live a very blessed life and have so much to be grateful for— far more than I deserve. But there weresome deep personal challenges, too— beyond watching the Seahawks try to make an open-field tackle.

One of the things that I’m most thankful for is y’all. Seahawks fans at large, but the Cigar Thoughts community specifically, feels very familial to me and I feel extremely lucky to be a part of it.

I won’t be recapping this game— not because I don’t want to and not because it doesn’t deserve it. No, I’m taking a late bye week because we decided to surprise our nieces and nephews with their first ever trip to Disneyland for New Year’s and I’m going to spend this time celebrating with them.

So with that in mind, I want to wish you guys the best year of your lives to date. May 2024 shower y’all with blessings the likes of which you’ve never seen. I’ll be back next week but in the meantime, onward and upward my friends.

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Considering it’s New Year’s Eve, I’m sending 2023 out on the highest of notes. Today I smoked my final stogie from the minted OpusX Timeless series. This is one of those cigars that you hope never ends and it’s not difficult to see why it’s earned such a sterling reputation among cigar connoisseurs.

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And if you didn’t know, we also have our own cigars now, which you can order below:

~~ORDER YOUR OFFICIAL CIGAR THOUGHTS CIGARS HERE~~—

We’ve linked up with one of the premier cigar manufacturers in the world to offer a special 13-year-aged blend of Dominican tobacco leaf to Cigar Thoughts readers for less than half of MSRP. These cigars, banded and branded by their creator, sell for $35-$40 per stick but we’re able to offer them to you for just $149 for a bundle of 10. They come with a Mylar bag and Boveda humidification pack so they’ll stay fresh whether you have a humidor or not. Just use the link!

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We’re also on YouTube, where you can catch video clips from the podcast, entire video episodes, and the audio recordings of the articles. Go watch our latest edition featuring Griffin Sturgeon. This is maybe the best way to support Cigar Thoughts, so I appreciate the few seconds it takes to like and subscribe.

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This is the 5th year of our incredible partnership with Seattle Cigar Concierge. They have the plug on some of the most insane stogies on the market and they’re offering them to Cigar Thoughts readers for 20% off. These are extremely special sticks, and among the most enjoyable I’ve ever smoked. To get the hook-up, just email SeattleCigarConcierge@GMail.com. They are carrying over 70 cigar brands with many rare releases, including Davidoff, Opus X, and Padron. You can also hit them up on Twitter: @SeattleCigars. Just be sure to mention that you’re a Cigar Thoughts reader. Many of you have taken advantage of this incredible opportunity and for those who have always wondered what elite cigars are like, this may the best chance you’ll get to step into that world.

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We’re also thrilled to announce an awesome new partnership with Westland Distillery in Seattle, which is my favorite local whiskey maker. Today I cracked open their Garryana #8, which was just ranked as the #3 whiskey in the entire world by Whiskey Advocate. And yeah, it’s that good.

Westland is an American Single Malt Whiskey distillery in the SoDo neighborhood of Seattle. Tasting room and bar is open to the public, serving whiskey flights, cocktails, and small bites. Bottle shop onsite, featuring distillery exclusive releases and more, located at 2931 First Avenue, a little over a mile south of Lumen Field. Needless to say, I’m stoked to be working with them and one of the reasons I love their whiskeys so much is that they’re excellent pairings with a good cigar.

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The 2023 season of Cigar Thoughts is also proud to be sponsored by Fairhaven Floors in Bellingham, WA.